Doctors looking into hormone therapy as a way to ward off dementia in women

Main Idea: Doctors are studying whether starting hormone therapy during perimenopause could help protect women from dementia later in life, but experts say it is not ready to be used for Alzheimer’s prevention.

Key Points:

• The article says women get Alzheimer’s at nearly twice the rate of men, and researchers think falling estrogen during menopause may be one reason.
• Dr. Lisa Mosconi and Weill Cornell Medicine are leading research on a possible “critical window” in midlife when hormone therapy might offer the most brain benefit.
• Studies reviewed in the story suggest hormone therapy started in midlife may lower dementia risk, while starting it much later may raise risk.
• The FDA’s removal of the black-box warning on hormone therapy could make more women and doctors willing to use it, but experts still say more research is needed before recommending it for dementia prevention.